Today, the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method is used by organizations around the world—from team development and strategy building to helping people work together on complex challenges through “thinking with their hands” and bringing their ideas to life in three-dimensional models.
But before LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® became the Method we know today, a small group of people played important roles in developing it and bringing it to the wider world.
One of them is Robert Rasmussen.
For those familiar with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, Robert Rasmussen is one of the most recognized names associated with the Method.
He is one of the key people who contributed to the development of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method in its early years and has continued working with the Method for decades.
But Robert’s journey with LEGO did not begin with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®.
It began in the world of learning and education.
Robert began his career with LEGO on the educational side of the company, working with LEGO Education.
His experience there placed him at the heart of an important question:
In this context, LEGO was much more than a toy.
Building, experimenting, making thoughts visible, and engaging the hands in the learning process can all influence how people explore and understand ideas.
This foundation in learning would later become an important part of Robert’s journey into the development of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®.
One of the fascinating things about LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is that it brings something most people associate with play into serious business contexts—from meetings and team development to strategy.
But LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® did not emerge simply from the idea of:
“Let’s bring some LEGO bricks into a meeting and play.”
The key is the Method.
LEGO bricks provide a medium through which participants can build their thoughts and make abstract ideas visible and tangible. But what makes the process different is the methodology behind it: how questions are asked, how models are built, how stories are shared and listened to, and how participants create meaning together.
This is where Robert’s background in learning became particularly relevant to the development of the Method.
In the early days, even Robert could not have known how far LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® would eventually travel.
What began as an approach designed to help people think, communicate, and work together around complex business challenges has since been applied in many different contexts and countries around the world.
One principle has remained especially powerful throughout that journey:
Instead of a meeting being driven primarily by the people who speak the most, speak the loudest, or hold the highest positions, every participant has an opportunity to build a model, explain the meaning behind it, and bring their perspective into the shared conversation.
The LEGO bricks on the table therefore become more than building materials.
They become a common language—helping invisible thoughts become visible, shareable, and easier for others to explore and understand.
In EP.1 of our series, we sit down with Robert Rasmussen to explore his journey—from his life before LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and his work with LEGO Education to becoming involved in the development of the Method he continues to work with today.
And this is only the beginning of the story.
Because the next question is:
How did the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method begin in the first place?
What led LEGO to search for a new way of thinking about strategy? And how did LEGO bricks eventually become part of that process?
Continue the story in EP.2: The Origins of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® — How the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method Began.
“Building a Better Business Using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method”, also available in Thai as “พัฒนาธุรกิจให้ ‘สุดยอด’ ด้วยพลังสมองขั้นสูง”
by Robert Rasmussen and Per Kristiansen.
Rasmussen Consulting Thailand is the official representative office of Rasmussen Consulting (Denmark) — founded by Robert Rasmussen, the designer and co-developer of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method.
The Thailand office is led by Mr. Joe Surathin Sathitlert, who has direct experience working alongside global experts and pioneers of the method.
